1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an arrangement for operating a converter, in particular an inverter, wherein the converter is located at a path of travel of land vehicles or at a parking space of a land vehicle. The invention also relates to a method of operating a current converter, in particular an inverter, which is operated at a path of travel of land vehicles or at a parking space of a land vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
In particular, the invention relates to the operation of converters, in particulars high power converters, for transferring electric energy to a land vehicle, such as a rail vehicle, truck, bus or automobile. According to a special application, the electric energy is transferred to the converter via a feed line, the converter converts the electric current through the feed line (for example, the converter converts a direct current to an alternating current), the converted electric current is used to produce a magnetic field and the magnetic field induces an electric voltage in a corresponding receiving device of a vehicle. An example of such a specific application is described in WO 2010/031595 A1.
It is known in the art that converters, in particular high power converters, produce heat during operation. The invention especially relates to high power converters which convert electric currents while transferring power rates of more than 1 kW. In traffic applications, such as transferring energy to vehicles while driving or while stopping (for example at a crossing of different paths of travel) or to a parking vehicle, the converter or converters may be buried in the ground, at least partly. An example of a corresponding arrangement of a converter and of a cooling system is given in WO 2011/076434 A1. One reason for burying the converter in the ground is that buried converters do not deteriorate the aesthetic appearance of the scene. However, converters are also buried for safety reasons. A disadvantage of burying converters in the ground is that it is more difficult to transfer the heat produced by the converter to the ambiance.